It’s official: WhatsApp Status ads are coming, likely sometime in 2020. And though paid advertising is just one piece of the puzzle for companies looking to connect with customers on WhatsApp, it’s a major change for the chat app, which has so far remained ad-free.

Advertising is the core of Facebook’s business, so it was only a matter of time before the company found a place to show ads on WhatsApp. That place will be in Status, WhatsApp’s version of Stories on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.

YouTube has been the OG for video creators for years, but now the social properties are making bigger inroads into this popular content format. That’s bringing new ways for marketers to work with creators on Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and more.

Adopting new technology is the norm among Generation X, and unlike digital natives, this adoption hasn’t crowded out old media. But before marketers can tap into Xers’ widespread accessibility, they should understand their unique device and media usage, social platform preferences and privacy concerns.

eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Cindy Liu breaks down our Facebook audience numbers for key age groups and a silver lining for the social network.

The second half of July means Q2 earnings are out. While some results were surprising, others showed companies’ continued growth, and in one instance, even a potential rebound. We offer our analysis on six companies as well as our own forecasts.

Automotive digital ad spend is increasing, but growth is decelerating due to larger forces at play.

CPGs are increasing their search budgets, but private-label competition and mergers and acquisitions activity is hampering overall ad spending growth.

Financial services firms are increasing their digital budgets, particularly for mobile, to target young consumers.

Healthcare and pharma ad spend is growing at a similar pace to other verticals, but FDA regulations and strict privacy laws restrict overall budgets.

Media and entertainment companies are increasing their digital ad spend at a greater rate than other verticals as revenues surge in the music and film industries and digital video and gaming platforms try to outcompete one another.

Retail ad budgets continue to grow at a steady pace as retail stalwarts battle disruption from Amazon and other digitally savvy companies.

Telecom and consumer electronics companies are increasing their digital ad spend as they adjust to rapidly changing technology developments.

This report covers key events in the global social media market, new data, trends and business activity in Q2 2019. It also includes our updated forecasts for social network users in Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and worldwide.

US advertisers are committing more dollars upfront for linear TV and digital video, however the percentage of digital video ads being sold programmatically continues to increase.

After initially struggling to gain traction, social commerce has finally begun to materialize as platforms, including Instagram and Pinterest, fill the need for discovery in the digital shopping environment.

Facebook users are spending less time on the social platform, and that is leading to a reduction in overall time spent with social networks in the US. Time spent on social networks declined by 1 minute last year, a stark difference from the cumulative 13-minute gain in 2016 and 2017.

The majority of social commerce in the US takes place on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook, though Snapchat is also part of the mix.

As media time reaches a saturation point, consumers in Canada are showing a decided taste for the immediacy of digital.

After years of steady increases, time spent on social media by US social network users fell last year. Those figures will flatten as the intensity of Facebook usage starts to moderate and activities such as digital video and video games draw more time and attention.